I popped into read what's going on this morning and found - nothing much! There has been a slow but steady decline in participation over the last few months, and now, to all intents and purposes, the forum is pretty well kaput.

Are CG aware of what has happened?

Maybe it's just a natural death and those of us who have participated for many many years are losing interest because nothing new seems to be happening, although I personally have tried to keep things going by starting threads, posting pictures, but very few seem to have been interested; or not interested enough to make any comments.

I don't see much point in the advertisers throwing their money away on advertisements that are basically reaching half a dozen people at most!

~BBQ

Zone 5bSouth/Central Ontario

Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day ~ Author Unknown

Part of the problem of lack of participation lies in the slowness and too often buggy operation of the forum. Another part is some of the members. When one member comes in and livens things up with his somewhat raunchy humour, a small number of tight knickered members complain and deluge both the member and administration with complaints. Yup , drive away participating members because the administration can't keep the forum running smoothly and fast, then bitch at everyone because someones humour isn't to your liking ( this is aimed at the complianers, not any specific member), instead of just ignoring threads that member posts, and then wonder why the forum is moribund .. I'm sure the admin and CG know what is happening, and I frankly don't think they care. The mods do what they can to keep the forum going, remove spam and garbage, and try to keep the members happy; but there is no pleasing some unless all is done their way; to their "moral standards". I would like to see a lot more participation in the forum too, and I am one that enjoys the banter and play , rather than merely gardening questions , with discussions and complaints of the latest aches and pains. The photos , gardening discussions, and banter are what make a community. Nobody , playful or tight sphinctered , likes a forum that loses posts, takes far too long to load too often, and often refuses to load or makes it too difficult for members to log in because of the forum "upgrades" .. I would like to see some real upgrades done to the forum , but can't see it happening. There .. my rant for the day .

Yes, I too think most of the blame can be put squarely on the shoulders of CG. Their software providers have just not done a good job and CG have been too apathetic to do anything about it. As usual, the comeback has always been 'well it's free'. That's not good enough. There are many many sites 'out there' which are completely free, and are very user friendly, and give far more interaction than this site.

I think the Mods do a pretty good job. Sometimes it's such a fine line between appropriate and inappropriate, that often it's easier to err on the side of extreme caution. Some posters over the years have crossed the line big time, and after being warned, were eventually blocked. Sometimes I didn't agree with it, especially when one particular poster was being very overtly baited over and over again by a small core of posters, (most of whom are no longer involved here BTW), and he of course responded in kind. He was eventually banned but the members who were doing the baiting just carried on.

Sometimes Marc was offensive, and very close to going over the top, but he still contributed a lot of humour to the board, and could be quite serious when he was asked a serious question, and would go out of his way to get an answer. Of course, he liked the attention, and he got a lot of it. Too bad he decided to quit completely, rather than coming in once in a while with another little gem to make us scratch and shake our heads!

But life goes on, and those of us who really want the CG forum to continue will try to do just that, although, on my part, somewhat half-heartedly nowadays.

~BBQ

Zone 5bSouth/Central Ontario

Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day ~ Author Unknown

B_BQ wrote: think the Mods do a pretty good job. Sometimes it's such a fine line between appropriate and inappropriate, that often it's easier to err on the side of extreme caution. Some posters over the years have crossed the line big time, and after being warned, were eventually blocked. Sometimes I didn't agree with it, especially when one particular poster was being very overtly baited over and over again by a small core of posters, (most of whom are no longer involved here BTW), and he of course responded in kind. He was eventually banned but the members who were doing the baiting just carried on.

You must remember that THIS is why we ended up with mods.

The mods have been doing as best thye can with the tools and support given to them.

And the CG admin has been made aware of the extreme drop in activity. Mods pointed that out to them a few weeks ago.

Yes Kelly. I remember our dear jacksparrow very well indeed. He was incorrigible and really needed to be strong-armed.

I had quite a lot of discussions with Dmitri sidebar about that fiasco. He agreed with me that those that were doing the 'baiting' should also have been banned, but he came to the conclusion too late to do much about it, and was keeping his fingers crossed that the 'baiters' would behave themselves too. He says he did warn them though.

Of course, most of that baiting was going on via private messages, and only Dmitri at that time had access to them, and we only got the 'he said/she said' versions.

I think before your time there was another nice and sweet contributor named Elizabeth. She was very enthusiastic and was like a sponge, asking all sorts of questions and absorbing all the answers. I think there were a few regulars at that time who didn't much like her and again, via private messaging, upset her so much that she quit. I asked her to reconsider; she thanked me but said some horrible things were said to her and she couldn't. I often think about her.

Then, of course, there was dear sweet GG, (Gerlinde), who was hounded by someone she knew personally, by the name of Evelyn. Others were quite mean to GG and eventually GG left as she couldn't take the abuse, (via private messages), any more.

I met Gerlinde, (Garden Girl), and she was a very nice, inoffensive, lady, who didn't deserve the abuse she received. Again, the bullies didn't get thrown off.

So, we've lost quite a few people over the years to sidebar pettiness.

~BBQ

Zone 5bSouth/Central Ontario

Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day ~ Author Unknown

The software used to form this forum isn't the problem. It is one of the most popular out there. It is its implementation that needs improvement . I suspect it isn't entirely the fault of whoever is leading in the forums coding. I think some higher up the chain just aren't providing enough bandwidth for the forums to function well. Overloaded servers "complain" and create errors just as we do when demands on us become excessive. When I see the list of administrators, and then see the number of admin. that also participate in the forum, I do question their dedication to the forum. The only two members of the administration who I see making regular contribution to the forum are our moderators, Kelly and Lyn . They do a good job with the limited tools they have. The members who try to be self appointed moderators through pms are cowards, as far as I'm concerned. They want to bully others into doing things their way , say only what they want to hear. If you have a complaint , say it in public .. The members of the forum will either agree or disagree with you, and the prevailing opinion will rule. Pm me with criticism, and I will respond on the forum and I will let the members decide who is out of line. If you don't like what is going on, speak up or leave .. Don't try to bully things your way by pm. I don't want to see things taken past what would be a "PG13" rating in postings and play, but I also don't think the community needs to be bound by only gardening Q&A either .. I prefer to see a forum of members who are more like family. Ask me for help, and I will help any way I can, either with a gardening question I may know an answer to in my limited knowledge , or PC problems with viruses, trojans or maybe a suggestion on some free software application you need .. If I can help I will . Please post your pix. They are all enjoyed whether each gets commented on or not .. If you need a shoulder to lean on , we are here for that too. If you don't like the banter and playfulness of other members . Fine .. Don't read their threads; and don't try to be a self appointed mod. If you want to do the mods job , find a forum where they want your views on how the forum will operate. Let Kelly and Lyn do theirs here.Report the spammers, but let our mods make the decision if someone has overstepped the boundaries. Your self righteous pms are not appreciated by anyone.

On a positive note, I am wondering if there is something we can do to make this forum a more interesting place to visit?

I do like it when "newbies" come in and ask lots of questions. It's a chance for me to obtain more knowledge about gardening and I also like it when I can answer some of the questions. Makes me feel good.

: )

"Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earthare never alone or weary of life" ~ Rachel Carson

I wish I knew a magic formula to get more participation. When you look at the number of members claimed by the forum , it should be a hive of activity. I suspect the bulk of those numbers are spam accounts used once and then abandoned and the admin. never bothered deleting them. It is a feel good experience when you can help someone else, and newbie questions often lead us into areas of the hobby that are new and interesting to us too.I think the biggest problems lately have been the slow loading and difficulty logging in that many have experienced. It does discourage participation.

LIIIIIIZZZZZZIE I have missed you and I have finally not been booted off of the new template thus lindamctthethird. I know you are well and I am wishing to see some of your burgs/dats and we may lead the pack for the beer run for the us this Winter........ get up and lets get this forum adjusted